Reception Blog

Reception - What's happening this half term (Spring 1st half term)?

15th January 2025  |  Posted by Reception

Welcome back! We have really missed you and can’t wait to get started with our new learning this half term.  

This half term our key question for exploring in learning is: Where are we? 

When exploring this question, we will be learning about hot and cold climates, animals and their habitats, under the sea and conservation.  

Read about what we will be learning in school and what you can do at home to support this. 


Communication and Language (C and L) 

In School: 

At Home: 


PSED (Personal, Social and Emotional Development) 

In School: 

At Home: 


PD (Physical Development) 

In School: 

At Home: 


Literacy 

In School: 

At Home: 


Maths 

In School: 

At Home: 


Understanding of the World 

In School: 

At Home: 


Expressive Art and Design 

In School: 

At Home: 


Outdoor Learning 

Outdoor Learning will continue this term. 

Pupils do not need to wear different clothing for Outdoor Learning sessions.  They must come to school in normal uniform. 

All pupils are provided with outdoor learning clothing to cover their own clothing.  This is put on in school before the session starts and removed after the session ends. 


Important Information 

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, they should only be studs. Hoops or other dangly earrings are not safe to be worn in school.


Learning at Home 

Reading at home: Please ensure that your child's reading diary is brought to school every day in their book bag. Please read with your children every day and write it in their reading diary. Don’t forget that reading to your child is also really important. 

Both units are on X (formerly Twitter) so please follow us for updates - use the buttons below. 

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download soon using the button below. Please let us know if a paper copy is required.   

You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below.  


Dates for your diary 

11th February - Safer Internet Day. Children will spend the day learning about how to be safe when using technology 

11th February – Celebration assembly 9.10-9.40 

14th February – Last day of term non uniform day 

 

Thank you! 

The Reception Team

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Don’t forget to follow our units on X.  Click a button below to find your child's unit on X.

Kingfisher - Autumn 2nd Half Term

19th December 2024  |  Posted by Mrs Acet & Miss Barnett

It has been a fantastic half term in Kingfisher Unit. So much has happened, so much learning has taken place and the children are now so settled in school and are really enjoying their learning. Here are some of the highlights of this half term.

 

Aspire

The children in Kingfisher Unit demonstrated true determination skills this half term in the outdoor area. After learning about the ambulance service and the job of a paramedic the children pretended that the outdoor bikes, scooters and cars were all ambulance vehicles and they were paramedics. They set up a road with obstacles, incidents to attend and had casualties who needed help. They then worked together to drive their ambulance vehicles to the incidents and helped to make the casualties feel better. The children had so much fun and their discussions about what the paramedics might do to help were fantastic. Kingfisher children have shown great curiosity about animals, hibernation and migration. They have discovered that some animals sleep for many months in order to survive and others migrate to warmer climates. For example, swallows will travel from the UK all the way to Africa. We found out that was a very long way to fly!

 

Inspire

The children in Kingfisher Unit have shown such enthusiasm this half term with their phonics. All of the children have been so excited to learn new sounds and apply them into reading new words. The children are so proud of themselves when they are reading new words and then being able to start reading sentences. Their love for learning and their enthusiasm for reading is just great. We love sharing stories in Kingfisher and we love to talk about the stories that we have been reading. The Kingfisher children are very creative and love to explore combining materials to create new effects. Our creative areas are always busy places within our provision and the children are able to use their imagination to further explore resources available.

 

Teamwork

The children in Kingfisher Unit are already such a great team. They work so well together all of the time. We are really proud of the sense of community that is seen in Kingfisher, especially when it is time to work together on a task. We were most impressed with the community feeling on Remembrance Day. The children listened beautifully to our Remembrance assembly with Mrs Woodley and then every child sat in silence for the two-minute silence. The children then made poppies and decorated poppy wreaths to hang in the classroom. Our weekly celebration of achievements in the Kingfisher unit are a pleasure to be a part of. The children are so excited to receive recognition for their hard work throughout the week and everybody joins in celebrating all that has been achieved.

 

Our Kingfishers continue to amaze us with how eager they are to learn and apply their knowledge.  The children have worked very hard all term, showing their commitment to our school values. We are so very proud of them all. The Christmas break is thoroughly deserved. 

 

Have a great Christmas everyone. See you in 2025.  Take care and stay safe. 

 

Mrs Acet, Miss Barnett, Mrs Erdinc and Miss Erdinc.

Puffin - Autumn 2nd Half Term

19th December 2024  |  Posted by Miss Nahar & Miss Williams

It has been a fantastic half term in Puffin Unit. So much has happened, so much learning has taken place and the children are now so settled in school and are really enjoying their learning. Here are some of the highlights of this half term. 

 

Apsire

The children in Puffin Unit demonstrated true determination skills this half term in the outdoor area. After learning about the ambulance service and the job of a paramedic the children pretended that the outdoor bikes, scooters and cars were all ambulance vehicles and they were paramedics. They set up a road with obstacles, incidents to attend and had casualties who needed help. They then worked together to drive their ambulance vehicles to the incidents and helped to make the casualties feel better. The children had so much fun and their discussions about what the paramedics might do to help were fantastic. The Puffin children have shown immense curiosity about animals’ hibernation and migration. They have discovered that some animals sleep for many months in order to survive and others migrate to warmer climates such as the Swallows will travel from the UK all the way to Africa.

 

Inspire

The children in Puffin Unit have shown such enthusiasm this half term with their phonics. All of the children have been so excited to learn new sounds and apply them into reading new words. The children are so proud of themselves when they are reading new words and then being able to start reading sentences. Their love for learning and their enthusiasm for reading is just great. We love sharing stories in Puffin and we love to talk about the stories that we have been reading.

 

Teamwork

The children in Puffin Unit are already such a great team. They work so well together all of the time. We are really proud of the sense of community that is seen in Puffin, especially when it is time to work together on a task. We were most impressed with the community feeling on Remembrance Day. The children listened beautifully to our Remembrance assembly with Mr Bulloch and then every child sat in silence for the two-minute silence. The children then made poppies and decorated poppy wreaths to hang in the classroom.

 

The Puffin class have worked tremendously hard this term to work as a team, inspire each other and share their dreams for the future. We are very proud of their achievements so far and we look forward to seeing them develop and flourish in the Spring term.

 

Have a great Christmas everyone. See you in 2025. Take care and stay safe. 

 

Miss Nahar, Miss Williams, Miss Kinzett and Miss Lewis. 

Reception - What's happening this half term (Autumn 2nd half term)?

7th November 2024  |  Posted by Reception

This half term our key questions are:

Who is that?

What’s going on?

Through exploring these question we will be learning about people who help us in the community and looking at the weather, the changes in the seasons, how it looks in our environment and the impact it has on local wildlife.

Read about what we will be learning in school and what you can do at home to support this.


C and L (Communication and Language)

In School:

At Home:


PSED (Personal, Social and Emotional Development)

In School:

At Home:


PD (Physical Development)\

In School/At Home:


Literacy

In School:

At Home:


Maths

In School:

At Home:


Understanding of the World

In School/At Home:

At Home:


Expressive Art and Design

In School:

At Home:


Outdoor Learning

Outdoor Learning starts this term.

Pupils do not need to wear different clothing for Outdoor Learning sessions.  They must come to school in normal uniform.

All pupils are provided with outdoor learning clothing to cover their own clothing.  This is put on in school before the session starts and removed after the session ends.

Pupils will need to bring in a pair of wellies which will be kept in school.  Please label each boot with your child’s name.


Important Information

Please remember, if your child wears earrings, they should only be studs. Hoops or other dangly earrings are not safe to be worn in school.


Learning at Home

Reading at home: Please ensure that your child's reading diary is brought to school every day in their book bag. Please read with your children every day and write it in their reading diary.

All units are on X (formerly Twitter) so please follow us for updates - use the buttons below.

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download soon using the button below.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.  

You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below. 


Winter Disco

Yardley Fundraisers (our PTFA) will be holding a Winter Disco for Reception on the following date:

Click here for further information and how to book.


Thank you!

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Don’t forget to follow our units on X.  Click a button below to find your child's unit on X.

Kingfisher - Autumn 1st Half Term

25th October 2024  |  Posted by Mrs Acet & Miss Barnett

Well Kingfishers we have finished our first half term at school and you have been amazing. We are so proud of how well all have you have settled into the school routine and begun your learning journey. It has been a very busy half term getting to know each other and exploring all the resources and activities that are provided each day. I think we all need a week to recharge our batteries ready for the next part of our learning adventure.

So far in school we have been learning all about each other. We have been asking questions and listening to everyone’s experiences and ideas. We have also been finding out about all the different people in school who help us – there are so many!

We have begun learning the sounds of the alphabet and we are so impressed with how eager you all are to learn the sounds and apply them to help you read words. Kingfishers you are all superstars! We are also learning how to write each letter. This is tricky, but we can see improvements in children’s writing already so don’t give up, continue to show us your enthusiasm and determination.

During Maths we have been exploring pattern, we have been matching patterns as well as creating repeating patterns. At home, have a go at creating your own repeating pattern, for example leaf, stick, leaf, stick.  

Some children are still finding putting on their own coat tricky. Please practise this at home and help your child learn to do up their coat independently. This would save us a lot of time in class.

Next term we will begin our Outdoor Learning sessions, please remember to bring in a pair of wellies if you haven’t already done so, as it does get very muddy over there. We have waterproof suits that children wear to protect their clothing so a change of clothes is not required.

Have a restful half term Kingfishers. We can’t wait for more fun with you next term.

Puffin - Autumn 1st Half Term

25th October 2024  |  Posted by Miss Nahar & Miss Williams

Wow! A great start to Reception in the Puffin class for Autumn 1. We are very pleased with how your children have settled into school. Thank you for your patience and support this half term. 

The children have been learning to become independent in the Puffin class and we are so pleased to say that all of the children are now independently doing their early morning jobs. Please continue to encourage children to be as independent as possible at home and continue to allow them to practise doing buttons and zips. Allow your child to get dressed and undressed at home. 

In Literacy, the children have been learning to identify their name and beginning to write their name. The children are aware that they need a capital letter at the start and rest of the letters are lower case. Continue to practise name writing at home. 

In phonics, the children have been learning their sounds and harder to read and spell words. 

Please practise blending words with these sounds. For example, sock, rock

Please help your child to find these sounds and words in their books. 

Vocabulary words are related to our school values (Inspire/Aspire/Teamwork)

In Maths, the children have been practising to count orally every day and experience lots of hands on practical Maths. Please continue to practise counting, singing number songs and identify numerals in the environment. You could also go on a shape hunt and look for shapes in the environment. 

It was lovely to record our Harvest song. The children enjoyed making cabbages and singing their song for you all. We hope you enjoyed the show! The children were amazing! Thank you for all your food donations too. It is nice that we can work as a team #TEAMWORK to support our families in our community. 

We enjoyed learning about Diwali on the last week of term. Happy Diwali to all families and friends celebrating this week. 

After half term holiday, we will be starting outdoor learning which is located on site in our school field. Please bring wellington boots -labelled with their name into school. 

Thank you to all the parents who attended our Phonics workshop and for the positive feedback to school. We can see that these sessions are very valuable to you all. We will have more workshops ahead. 

We really enjoyed speaking to many parents at the end of the term. We are very proud of how the children have settled and made a great start to Reception life. 

Enjoy your half term break. 

Hope you all have a nice break and I will see you soon. 

Miss Nahar, Miss Kinzett, Miss Williams, and Miss Lewis

Reception - What's happening this half term (Autumn 1st half term)?

12th September 2024  |  Posted by Reception

Welcome to the first Reception blog of the school year! It has been a pleasure to welcome everyone in to our school, it has been a wonderful start!

Our questions this term will be:

Through exploring these questions, we will learn about each other, our school and the local community. 


Physical Development

In school we will be developing skills in holding and using a pencil, developing independence skills in self-care e.g. going to the toilet, putting on and finding own coat. We will also be developing our balance, co-ordination and movement skills through the use of our outdoor areas and our indoor climbing frame.

Children are engaged in physical activities everyday so please ensure children are not wearing jewellery (ear studs are acceptable) and have appropriate footwear on. 

Ways you can help at home:


Communication and Language

In school we will be learning to develop our attention by listening to stories, practising following simple instructions and sharing our own experiences with others.

Ways that you can help at home are: 


Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Our learning this term will be to say when we do or don’t need help, to form good relationships with adults and children in school. 

Ways that you can help at home are: 


Literacy

This term our learning focus will be to give meaning to marks as we draw, write and paint. This will be extended so that children begin to form recognisable letters in order to write their name. We will be paying particular attention to the way that letters are formed so that children are able to form letters correctly. We will begin our journey into learning the sounds of letters and applying this knowledge to read simple words. 

Ways that you can help at home are: 


Maths

In school we will be using number names and number language appropriately. We will also be developing children’s knowledge of shape and space by playing with shapes and making arrangements with objects. 

Ways that you can help at home are: 


Understanding of the World

Activities we will be doing in school that you can do at home:


Expressive Art and Design

In school we will be experimenting with colour, texture and resources. Expressing our feelings through song and dance. 

Ways that you can help at home are: 


Reminders

Please ensure that your child has a pair of wellies and a water bottle in school (don’t forget to label them).

Please do not bring rucksacks as these are too big to store in classrooms and damage our books.

Please can you also make sure that all belongings are clearly labelled with your child’s name and class.


Learning at Home

Reading at home: This half term each child will receive a reading diary, please ensure that it is brought to school every day in their book bag. Please read with your children every day and write it in their reading diary.

All units are on X (formerly Twitter) so please follow us for updates - use the buttons below.

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download soon using the button below.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.  

You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below. 

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter)!

Don’t forget to follow our units on X.  Click a button below to find your child's unit on X.

Class RB - Summer 2nd Half Term

18th July 2024  |  Posted by Miss Barnett

So for our final term in Reception we have been learning all about traditional stories, Eid, holidays and getting ready for Year 1. We also had great fun dressing in our graduation clothes to celebrate all we have achieved with you at our graduation ceremony.

The children thoroughly enjoyed joining in with the repetitive phrases in the stories we have read and I have seen this reflected in the writing they have done. The children have been amazing at retelling the stories and acting them out. The confidence that they display doing this is wonderful to see.

In maths we have been practising all we have learnt this year. We have been naming and describing 2D and 3D shapes, using numbers to 20 (and beyond) to solve problems by adding, subtracting, halving and doubling. We have even been learning and exploring number bonds to 10. Phew! What a busy term.

We recently enjoyed our sports day, you were such great team players cheering everyone on. I was very impressed with everyone’s resilience and determination.

I can't believe that we are at the end of the school year RB. We have had so much fun over the past year and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to celebrate this in our graduation ceremony. I still remember your first day here at Yardley Primary when you astounded me with how well you came into school, it was as though you had been doing it for years. You have been a truly amazing class and I look forward to watching you grow as you progress through the school.

Thank you for a fabulous year, enjoy the summer and I will see you soon,

Miss Barnett

Class RMB - Summer 2nd Half Term

18th July 2024  |  Posted by Miss Brown

We have had such a fantastic final half term RMB, you have grown so much and I am so proud of you!

 This term we have been focussing on so many wonderful new themes. The children have been focussing on lots of story-telling this half term.  We have read traditional tales such as, The Gingerbread Man and The Little Red Hen 

The children thoroughly enjoyed joining in with the repetitive phrases and acting out the stories. The children were amazing at retelling the story through their story maps and we had some amazing story-telling on Twitter. 

Our holiday topic was very exciting as there were lots of children who were able to talk about various holidays such as going to a hot country such as Turkey or visiting a colder country such as Iceland. The children loved talking about different holidays such as camping, going to the beach, going on a safari and visiting countries around the world. The children loved comparing and discussing what they would need for these holidays. 

During transition week, the children enjoyed meeting their Year 1 teacher. Mr Shah was so impressed with the children and is very excited to teach you next half term.

The children’s Graduation Day ceremony was a great celebration day. The children enjoyed singing for you all and stood proudly holding their certificates. Hope you enjoyed the ceremony. I think it was an emotional day for all of us!

Finally we had a week about what we are looking forward to, the children talked about their hopes, aspirations and goals for the future. We had to celebrate their success with a well-deserved ice lolly. 

Good luck in Year 1 children, I will miss you all very much and will look back on our time together with such joy. 

Have a very happy summer holiday everyone, stay safe and have fun.

Miss Brown, Mrs Erdinc and Miss Godsil.

Class RN - Summer 2nd Half Term

18th July 2024  |  Posted by Miss Nahar

It’s been a long term in school and the children are ready for their Summer break. This term we have been focussing on so many wonderful new themes. The children have been focussing on lots of story-telling this half term. 

Here are the stories that we focussed on:

The children thoroughly enjoyed joining in with the repetitive phrases and acting out the stories. The children were amazing at retelling the story through their story maps and we had some amazing story-telling on Twitter. 

We then enjoyed learning about Eid Al-Adha and the children enjoyed sharing their Eid celebration experiences with their friends in class. 

Our holiday topic was very exciting as there were lots of children who were able to talk about various holidays such as going to a hot country such as Pakistan or visiting a colder country such as Iceland. The children loved talking about different holidays such as camping, going to the beach, going on a safari and visiting countries around the world. The children loved comparing and discussing what they would need for these holidays. 

During transition week, the children enjoyed meeting their Year 1 teacher. We also had a Graduation Day ceremony which was a great celebration day. The children enjoyed singing for you all. Hope you enjoyed the ceremony. I think it was an emotional day for all of us!

Finally we had a week about what we are looking forward to, the children talked about their hopes, aspirations and goals for the future. We had to celebrate their success with a well-deserved ice lolly. 

Good luck in Year 1. I will miss you all very much. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. 

Have a very happy Summer holiday everyone.

Class RW - Summer 2nd Half Term

18th July 2024  |  Posted by Miss Williams

Well done to all the children for their first year at school! This term has been especially action packed!

It’s been a busy term in school and the children are ready for their Summer break. This term we have been focussing on so many wonderful new themes. The children have been focussing on lots of story-telling this half term.  We  enjoyed the stories of The Little Red Hen and The Gingerbread Man in particular.

The children thoroughly enjoyed joining in with the repetitive phrases and acting out the stories. The children were amazing at retelling the story through their role play and writing. 

We then enjoyed learning about Eid Al-Adha and the children enjoyed sharing their Eid celebration experiences with their friends in class.  

Our holiday topic was very exciting as there were lots of children who were able to talk about various holidays such as going to a hot country such as Pakistan or visiting a colder country such as Iceland. The children loved talking about different holidays such as camping, going to the beach, going on a safari and visiting countries around the world. The children loved comparing and discussing what they would need for these holidays.  

During transition week, the children enjoyed meeting their Year 1 teacher. We also had a Graduation Day ceremony which was a great celebration day. The children enjoyed singing for you all. Hope you enjoyed the ceremony. I think it was an emotional day for all of us! 

Finally we had a week about what we are looking forward to, the children talked about their hopes, aspirations and goals for the future. We had to celebrate their success with a well-deserved ice lolly.  

Good luck in Year 1. I will miss you all very much. Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. 

Have a very happy Summer holiday everyone.

Reception - What's happening this half term (Summer 2nd half term)?

5th June 2024  |  Posted by Reception

Can you believe we are about to start our final term in Reception! Here is our planned learning for the Summer term in Reception:

 

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

In school we will be learning to: 

At home you can: 

 

Communication and Language

In school we will be learning to: 

At home you can: 

 

Physical Development

In school / At home 

Children have access to climbing and balancing apparatus, sports games and the outside area on a daily basis, so sensible footwear is necessary each day.


Literacy

In school we will be learning to:

At home you can:

 

Maths

In school we will be learning to:

At home you can: 

 

Understanding of the World

In school/At home:

 

Expressive Art and Design

In school we will be learning to:

At home you can:

 

Learning at Home

Please read with your children every day and write it in their reading diary.

All classes are on Twitter so please follow us for updates - use the buttons below.

The latest 'Learning At Home’ pack will be available to download this week using the button below.  Please let us know if a paper copy is required.  

You can also visit our Learning Hub using the button below. 

Follow us on Twitter!

Don’t forget to follow our classes on Twitter.  Click a button below to find your child's class on Twitter.